India’s Deadly Heat Wave and Drought

3:54 am ESTApr 28, 2016

By

Vibhuti Agarwal

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A searing heat wave, coupled with a drought in parts of India is causing death and misery for hundreds of people, as temperatures soar above 113 degrees Fahrenheit and reservoirs dwindle to 22% of their full capacity.

India’s meteorological department warned on Thursday that the heat wave, which has forced schools to close and halted outdoor activities, would continue over the weekend.

And it will still be several weeks before monsoon rains reach the parched areas of the country. The monsoon starts in June and the rains gradually cover the entire country by September.

Authorities advised citizens to stay indoors during the day, drink plenty of water, use an umbrella for shade and keep their heads and bodies covered to avoid sunstroke. Hospitals are on alert to deal with emergency situations. The majority of the dozens of casualties so far have been homeless people or day laborers, among the poorest in society.

Here is a look at some numbers.

330 million

The number of people living in areas affected by record-high temperatures and severe drought in parts of central, eastern and southern India, according to government estimates. That is a quarter of India’s population. These include 30 million people in Karnataka, 36.9 million in Maharashtra, 16.7 million in Orissa, 23.5 million in Andhra Pradesh, 17.8 million in Telangana and 99 million in Uttar Pradesh.

255,923

The number of villages in 254 Indian districts that have been impacted by the drought. The highest number of villages hit by the water shortage–42,829–was reported in the Madhya Pradesh state in central India, followed by 29,077 villages in the eastern state of Orissa and 22,759 in Karnataka in the south. So far, 10 of India’s 29 states have declared a state of drought, following two years of below-average monsoon rains.

119 degrees Fahrenheit

The temperature recorded in Titlagarh–a town with a population of nearly 60,000 in Orissa. The mercury touched 119.3 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) on April 24, the highest-ever temperature recorded in the state during the month. Titlagarh ranks among the hottest places in India. It previously recorded 122 degrees Fahrenheit in June 2003.

87

The number of people who succumbed to the Indian heat wave up to March 31 this year, according to information provided by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The highest number of deaths were in the southern state of Telangana, where 56 people died from scorching temperatures, followed by 19 deaths in Orissa. The actual death figures might be over 200, the government hasn’t yet released figures for April. In the past four years, 4,204 people died due to heat waves, of those 1,433 people died in 2013, the number fell to 549 a year later but went up again last year to 2,135.

22

The percentage of capacity of water that 91 major dams across the country are holding, according to data released by India’s Central Water Commission last week. The figure will likely dwindle further when the summer peaks next month, the commission said. In 2012, when India suffered one of its worst droughts, India’s reservoirs still carried 28% of capacity, in 2009, it was 26%.